If you had an alphabet with an infinite amount of letters...

[oiprocs]

I would think at some point, you would stop creating new words, or rather, those "new words" would really just be derivatives of other words.

 

[darkxshade]

why would you need words at all?

 

[OCGuy]

Obviously, Scaldufrus Impruligeion Distratorvei.


Everyone Knows This.

 

[Triumph]

No? Why would you have a dictionary with an infinite amount of words? Words are created, they don't just "exist" like a number simply exists...

 

[Oceandevi]

The words need to have meaning.

 

[oiprocs]

Originally posted by: Triumph
No? Why would you have a dictionary with an infinite amount of words? Words are created, they don't just "exist" like a number simply exists...

Yeah I get that, but wouldn't you be able to create an infinite amount of words to put in that dictionary?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

You can make an infinite number of words with the 26 letters we have now.

You could make an infinite number of words with just one letter.

 

[krylon]

A word would have to be in regular use before it would be put in a dictionary. They retire and add words all the time.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
You could make an infinite number of words with just one letter.

:thumbsup:

I am having flash backs to discrete mathematics.

 

[oiprocs]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
You can make an infinite number of words with the 26 letters we have now.

You could make an infinite number of words with just one letter.

No you can't.

How can "e" and "e" be the same word? Are you using different tones? In that case, if you had an infinite amount of tones, then yes I suppose so.

But that's just dumb.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: scorpious

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
You can make an infinite number of words with the 26 letters we have now.

You could make an infinite number of words with just one letter.

No you can't.

How can "e" and "e" be the same word? Are you using different tones? In that case, if you had an infinite amount of tones, then yes I suppose so.

But that's just dumb.

e = you're a moron
ee = you're really a moron
eee = dog
eeee = I don't know why you don't get this
eeeee = cat

 

[Arcadio]

Originally posted by: scorpious

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
You can make an infinite number of words with the 26 letters we have now.

You could make an infinite number of words with just one letter.

No you can't.

How can "e" and "e" be the same word? Are you using different tones? In that case, if you had an infinite amount of tones, then yes I suppose so.

But that's just dumb.

wow.. Seriously.

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

If you had an alphabet with an infinite number of letters, that's not really an alphabet. That's pictographs/radicals.

 

[oiprocs]

Originally posted by: Arcadio

Originally posted by: scorpious

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
You can make an infinite number of words with the 26 letters we have now.

You could make an infinite number of words with just one letter.

No you can't.

How can "e" and "e" be the same word? Are you using different tones? In that case, if you had an infinite amount of tones, then yes I suppose so.

But that's just dumb.

wow.. Seriously.

Care to explain? Should I have included "This is an especially serious thread" in the OP?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: scorpious

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
You can make an infinite number of words with the 26 letters we have now.

You could make an infinite number of words with just one letter.

No you can't.

How can "e" and "e" be the same word? Are you using different tones? In that case, if you had an infinite amount of tones, then yes I suppose so.

But that's just dumb.

e = you're a moron
ee = you're really a moron
eee = dog
eeee = I don't know why you don't get this
eeeee = cat

I approve.

 

[oiprocs]

Originally posted by: Hayabusa Rider

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: scorpious

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
You can make an infinite number of words with the 26 letters we have now.

You could make an infinite number of words with just one letter.

No you can't.

How can "e" and "e" be the same word? Are you using different tones? In that case, if you had an infinite amount of tones, then yes I suppose so.

But that's just dumb.

e = you're a moron
ee = you're really a moron
eee = dog
eeee = I don't know why you don't get this
eeeee = cat

I approve.

I'm going to go hide in the corner now.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Originally posted by: Arcadio

Originally posted by: scorpious

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
You can make an infinite number of words with the 26 letters we have now.

You could make an infinite number of words with just one letter.

No you can't.

How can "e" and "e" be the same word? Are you using different tones? In that case, if you had an infinite amount of tones, then yes I suppose so.

But that's just dumb.

wow.. Seriously.

You know you said something truly stupid when even Arcadio thinks you are dumb.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: scorpious

Originally posted by: Hayabusa Rider

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: scorpious

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
You can make an infinite number of words with the 26 letters we have now.

You could make an infinite number of words with just one letter.

No you can't.

How can "e" and "e" be the same word? Are you using different tones? In that case, if you had an infinite amount of tones, then yes I suppose so.

But that's just dumb.

e = you're a moron
ee = you're really a moron
eee = dog
eeee = I don't know why you don't get this
eeeee = cat

I approve.

I'm going to go hide in the corner now.

Heh, you'll survive. By now I'm sure you realize the context here. Any symbol can repeat infinitely.

The other thing which has been said is that words have meaning. Putting letters together in itself doesn't make a word. For example, aladfabahqjasfjaxx doesn't mean anything, and therefore isn't a word.

On the flip side you can't run out of words no matter how large a language is, but again only if needed (perhaps better said as defined).